This story was being told before the game even happened. No. 5 seed Wisconsin was bigger, harder working, less selfish than the 12th-seeded Rebels. But the Rebels had a one-of-a-kind weapon in bold, brash Marshall Henderson, who just might shoot his team to another upset victory.

That’s how it was being told, mind you. It has little to do with what actually happened.

Oh, it seemed like the game was unfolding along those lines during the first half, when Henderson shot an abominable 1-for-11 from the field. Wisconsin, despite shooting 30.4 percent itself, was controlling the boards, clamping down on the pace of play and, by the looks of things, establishing control.

“I thought if we could take care of the ball in the second half,” Bo Ryan said, “even shoot the same percentage we did in the first half, we’d have been fine.”

The Badgers shot even worse in the second half, a hideous 22.2 percent. Henderson, meanwhile, finally heated up, scoring 17 of his game-high 19 points over the final 11:25. But those developments weren’t the only reasons the Rebels turned Cheddar Nation on its ear, or even the biggest reasons.

You know what went down here in the first of Friday’s Round of 64 games?

Wisconsin got outworked. Outfought. Out-toughed.

Substance, baby.

“They kind of cranked up the pressure,” said Badgers senior center Jared Berggren, “and we folded.”

Indeed, Wisconsin imposed its plodding pace on Ole Miss in this 57-46 affair; it was the first time all season the Rebels failed to eclipse 60 points. But the Badgers couldn’t impose their will. Quite the opposite, in fact.

“They really took it to us,” said freshman Sam Dekker, “and we didn’t know how to handle it.”

All the talk about Ole Miss—during its glorious SEC Tournament run and now here at the Sprint Center—has focused on Henderson, and it’s no wonder why. The Mouth of Mississippi is a great quote, a controversial sound bite waiting to happen, and his style of play is explosive and fun.

But the Rebels could’ve won this game without him. While Henderson ran around screens in desperate search of shots—any shots—his teammates wisely and bravely attacked the rim against the much taller Badgers. Their work was even more impressive at the defensive end, with Reginald Buckner and Murphy Holloway dominating the boards as UW went one-and-done over and over again. Buckner, who had five blocks, clearly intimidated the Badgers near the basket.

“Defensively, he’s the best we’ve ever had,” said coach Andy Kennedy of Buckner.

Go on, continue to focus on Henderson if you must. It’s true, the college game really doesn’t have any stars. Trey Burke and Cody Zeller walk onto your elevator with Johnny Manziel, and you’re freaking out about the short guy. That’s just a reality of college basketball nowadays, and it’s at the heart of why folks are suddenly so interested in Henderson.

By the way, what has Kennedy told him all season to act like on the court? A serial killer. Yes, both Kennedy and Henderson admitted that in the afterglow of Friday’s victory. Frankly, it was kind of gross.

But it matches Henderson’s I’ll-say-anything persona. His postgame gem this time: “Their defense wasn’t what everyone said it was.”

Way to kick Wisconsin on its way out the door.

Henderson’s facial reactions throughout the postgame press conference were even better. When Kennedy praised Wisconsin’s defense, Henderson gave a blatant roll of the eyes. When a reporter asked Kennedy if he considered running a play for a different 3-point shooter as Henderson struggled in the first half, the Mouth gave that reporter a silly, exaggerated staredown. There were several more moments like that.

It’s fun, sure. He’s a lightning rod. But he’s no sudden star without his teammates laying it all on the line.

“Just keep pushing and keep working,” said Holloway.

No one will chant their names for it, but clearly they’re OK with that.

As Henderson did the press-conference thing, LaDarius White and Derrick Millinghaus hung back in the locker room and clowned. Millinghaus thrust his smart phone in White’s face and asked him for a summation of his feelings.

“It feels good to be a Rebel!” came the shouted reply.

With more substance-over-style from this team, it might soon feel even better.